NH-0653 Rank 81
Kozuka · Gotō Tokujō
徳乗 (Gotō Tokujō)
Shakudō kozuka with a nanako ground and the figure of Shinnō in takabori with gold and silver iroe, attributed by the NBTHK to Gotō Tokujō, with Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned kozuka attributed by the NBTHK papers to 徳乗 (Tokujō), fifth master of the Gotō main line (1550–1631), son of Kōjō and a central figure of the workshop that served the great lords of his day. The subject, according to the papers, is 神農図 (Shinnō-zu): Shinnō, the legendary Chinese god of agriculture and medicine, shown with his rugged features, a hoe and leaves held in his mouth, between a pine tree on one side and geese in flight on the other. The plate is shakudō with a fine, even nanako ground; the figures are worked in takabori with gold and silver iroe, with very careful carving of the face, hair and garments. The reverse is plain polished shakudō with a gold strip along one edge. The photographs show a deep, even patina, intact iroe, light age-related wear to the nanako and fine handling scratches on the reverse. The original seller gives the dimensions as 9.6 × 1.4 cm and mentions a plain uninscribed kiri box. Papers 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) no. 2000675, dated 9 January 2013, with the attribution 無銘 徳乗 (mumei Tokujō).
Strong points
- Attributed by the NBTHK to Gotō Tokujō, fifth master of the Gotō main line
- Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu papers issued in 2013
- Fine, even shakudō nanako ground
- Takabori with gold and silver iroe on the figure of Shinnō
- Polished shakudō reverse with a gold strip
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the authorship is an attribution by the papers
- Light wear to the nanako and fine handling scratches on the reverse
- The period is inferred from the attribution; the papers do not date the piece
Score breakdown
62.5/100
The score shares out 100 points: Maker 25 · Workmanship 20 · Condition 18 · Period 12 · Paper 10 · Extras 5 · Price 10. It is computed from the record, not from an opinion. Maker, workmanship, condition and period are judged from the photographs and the paper; price is compared only with fittings of the same type.
- Maker 15 of 25 Unsigned, attributed by the paper to a master
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 5.5 of 10 Rank 27 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest